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Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Process and Considerations for Adding Names to the Wall

GAO-24-107080 Published: Sep 19, 2024. Publicly Released: Sep 19, 2024.
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Fast Facts

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial lists the names of more than 58,000 men and women who were killed in the war. 380 names have been added to it since its 1982 dedication, for example, to correct omissions. Not all Vietnam-era military casualties are eligible.

We reviewed how DOD adds names. We also looked at its responses to requests to add 74 sailors who died in 1969 when their ship, the Frank E. Evans, had a collision in the South China Sea.

DOD has a process and criteria in its policy to approve adding names. It has reviewed the Evans collision and determined it didn't meet criteria, e.g., it wasn't in the defined combat zone.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

A close-up photograph of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

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Highlights

What GAO Found

Since its 1982 dedication, 380 service members’ names have been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (the Wall) as errors or omissions were found, among other reasons. The Department of Defense (DOD) is responsible for approving the names that are added to the Wall, based on a set of criteria and review process set forth in a DOD instruction. Over the past 40 years, DOD has clarified the criteria and updated its process to try to ensure the facts and circumstances of requests to add names to the Wall are evaluated consistently, according to officials.

The review process typically begins when a military service receives a request to add a name or names to the Wall, such as from the family of a deceased service member. The military service casualty office then conducts research to examine if the circumstances of the individual’s Vietnam service and death meet DOD’s criteria for addition to the Wall. DOD’s criteria identify time frames, locations, and other factors that the military services use to provide initial conclusions to the Casualty Advisory Board for review and deliberation. The board, which consists of representatives from across DOD and the military, is responsible for making a recommendation to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness for a final decision as to whether a name should be added to the Wall. 

A Section of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

A Section of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

Once DOD decides a name should be added, it is the responsibility of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to inscribe it on the Wall, under National Park Service oversight. According to officials, names are inscribed in the original design of the memorial, including ordering names on or after the date of casualty, within the limited remaining space.

Some members of Congress have requested that DOD add the names of 74 sailors who died in June 1969 when their ship, the USS Frank E. Evans, was in a collision with an Australian aircraft carrier in the South China Sea. DOD has reviewed the accident and consistently determined that the circumstances of the collision do not meet the criteria for adding names to the Wall because the ship was outside the defined combat zone and not in direct support of combat operations when the accident took place. DOD has not directed the addition of a large group of names associated with a single casualty date since the early 1980s, according to officials; thus, the specific cost and planning considerations for doing so are unknown.

Why GAO Did This Study

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., honors U.S. military service members who served and died in the Vietnam War. The most prominent element of the memorial is the nearly 500-foot-long granite wall upon which are inscribed the names of more than 58,000 U.S. service members who gave their lives in the war.

GAO was asked to examine the process for determining whether to add names to the Wall, including of the 74 members of the USS Frank E. Evans crew who died in June 1969. This report describes how DOD reviews requests to add names to the Wall, including of the 74 members of the crew; the process for inscribing new names on the Wall; and any additional considerations related to making such changes.

To conduct this work, GAO examined DOD’s policy and process for making decisions to add names to the Wall, and other documentation that provided information on the history of the Vietnam War era and its casualties; DOD’s past additions to the Wall; and the types of information military services use to determine eligibility, including for the 74 members of the USS Frank E. Evans crew. GAO analyzed National Park Service and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund documentation, including the history of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and relevant laws and regulations. GAO also interviewed officials from DOD, the National Park Service, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, as well as members of the USS Frank E. Evans Association including a nongeneralizable selection of surviving crew members and family of some of the 74 crew members.

For more information, contact Alissa H. Czyz at (202) 512-3058 or czyza@gao.gov.

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Topics

DeathsLaws and regulationsMilitary forcesNational archivesNavy shipsPast conflictsVietnam veteransWar memorialsSocial mediaMedical records